Century-old law calling people with a mental illness “lunatics” will take six months to replace

Legislation that replaces a century-old law calling people with a mental illness “lunatics” will take six months to fully implement, it has emerged.

Inclusion Ireland said the six-month timeframe for commencing all aspects of the legislation would delay people with intellectual disabilities getting the support they needed to articulate their decision-making.

The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013, passed by the Dáil this week, repeals the Victorian-era Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 and the Marriage of Lunatics Act 1811.